Prompt #1: 

What did you learn about organizations, and/or the behavior of individuals
within an organization?  How do the ideas presented in Part Two (the Structural
Frame) of the B&D textbook enrich your understanding of the ways in which
organizations and the people working in them function?

This module’s reading helped me understand how critical the right structural make-up of
an organization can be to its success, or demise. Depending on the goals and vision of
the organization, decisions must be made that align leadership goals with follower
goals. Once there is a solid foundation and structure in place, there must then be an
equal division of labor amongst the team. I favor a structural frame, so this week’s topic
and information was appealing to me. As destructive as the Lean on Me scene may
have been to morale, I believe there is a certain time and place that requires that level of
structure and discipline. In my experience I have come to believe that humans need to
work to be happy and work best when given some parameters to outline what is
expected of them. It seems that whatever frame they were using in the past was
unsuccessful and the school needed change. The text explains various situations where
businesses were successful or unsuccessful due to adapting to the needs and
requirements of the team and organization as a whole. This helped me apply the theory
to real life situations that I am a part of. I particularly enjoyed the story surround SOP’s
in aviation. As I am in aviation, it was nice to see the application of leadership theory to
something that I understand well.  SOP’s are critical in the cockpit environment but can
be overkill in a more arts or education forward atmosphere.

Prompt #2:  How can you apply the concepts that you have learned about in the
readings to your personal or organizational life?  Be specific.

I can apply the concepts I have learned about in the readings to my personal life by
adding them into my toolbox. Many of the theories mentioned are tools but not rules.
Leadership is never a one size fits all endeavor, as the text explains as well. Although I
am a part of the very structured matrix that Starbucks employs, I will surely apply the
theory of what works best to my future endeavors. As a pilot, structure and SOPs are
key to repeatable success. Understanding that SOPs, on the same hand, “can fall short…
in the face of “black swans” – freak surprises that the SOPs were never designed to
handle” (Bolman & Deal, 2017, p. 57) will help me stay on my toes and be aware of the
fact that things can and will go wrong from time to time that haven’t been planned for.

Prompt #3: What are the “structural imperatives” identified by Bolman and Deal?  In
other words, what is the universal set of internal and external parameters that
organizations need to respond to when choosing its structure?  How does structure
influence what happens in the workplace?
The structural imperatives identified by Bolman and Deal are fluid and ever changing.
There is no hard and fast answer to what an organizations structure should include due
to the fact that organizations are dynamic, and many have differing goals. Bolman and
deal explain, “In fact, there is no such thing as an ideal structure. Every organization
needs to respond to a universal set of internal and external parameters. These
parameters, or contingencies, include the organization’s size, age, core process,
environment, strategy and goals, information technology, and workforce characteristics”
(2017, p. 65). Structure helps organizations mobilize their goals and transform them
into realities. Through a strategic structure that takes all of the previous parameters into
account, organizations and their teams are best equipped to excel in whatever sector
they operate within.

Prompt #4:  In Chapter Four, Bolman and Deal describe eight basic structural tensions
that organizations face when searching for an appropriate structure.   Consider an
organization in your life (perhaps your family, or any other organization with which you
are familiar).  Make some connections / discuss this organization in light of at least a
few of these structural tensions.

One of the prevalent organizations that come to mind when considering structural
tensions is Starbucks. One of the tensions that stood out to me most is underuse
versus overload. My store is fairly slow and is a café store, so we do not have a drive
through. Many of my coworkers are very young and this is their first job. With the lack of
work available from customer traffic, we must keep ourselves busy with cleaning and
restocking tasks. Many of them do not have this busy work built into their work ethic so
instead of helping, they get in the way. Having a busier store or a more motivated shift
lead presence may help this, but it is overall a great fault of the store that I work at.

Prompt #5:  Throughout your progression in the Organizational Leadership program,

you have had a number of courses that include content that could be viewed through
the structural frame.  Please highlight what you would consider to be two of the most
important things (ideas, concepts, theories, models, processes, skills, etc.) that you
have learned in previous coursework that you can relate to the structural frame. 
Briefly discuss each key learning, the course where you learned it, and its connection
with the structural frame.

I think two of the most important concepts that favor a structural frame was the SWOT
analysis and the use of baseline assessments. Overall, I think project management
highly favors processes and structure and believe the coursework offered multiple
structural tools to approach projects with. The SWOT analysis is used to determine an
organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Determining these
attributes allows the project manager to craft a plan that plays to strengths while
attempting to strengthen weaknesses. Although each organizations’ SWOT is different,
the approach is consistent. Baseline assessments act in a similar function to SWOT
analyses. They determine the starting point for whatever project you are aiming to
tackle. It is in essence, ‘where are you now, so we can plan appropriately for where you
are going’. These are both very structural and systematic approaches to organizational
improvement.

Prompt #6:  How has structure impacted the culture and outcomes (for customers,
employees, stockholders, surrounding community and/or any other stake-holders) in
an organization with which you are affiliated?  Describe enough of the situation
concretely to provide context and use concepts from the readings in your response. If
you don’t think structure has any influence, think again more carefully and perhaps
revisit the readings / Learning Module content to broaden your definition and
understanding.

Structure has impacted the culture and outcomes in many ways for Starbucks
employees, customers, stakeholders, etc. Starbucks’ matrix structure helps the brand
maintain consistency and accountability multi-nationally. Just as McDonalds has
created a brand where you can get the same product anywhere in the world, Starbucks
has created the same. Almost everyone has been into a Starbucks at least once and can
recognize the logo immediately. Their presence and consistency across the board
encourages the customer to keep coming back. Through vertical coordination,
Starbucks is able to hold the many levels associated with each store, district, region,
etc. accountable and ensure SOPs are dispersed evenly. Although there is always going
to be a discrepancy, Starbucks has achieved a high level of consistency that has
allowed continual expansion into new and dynamic markets.  

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing Organizations (6th ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Lean on Me - First Staff Meeting. (2011). YouTube. https://youtu.be/xm1jSxcv2Fc.